Joe DiMaggio: The end of the streak

Seventy summers ago, Joe DiMaggio hit safely in 56 straight games. This is the story of the 57th

July 14, 1941: Joe DiMaggio hits in his 53rd straight game, against the Chicago White Sox; his record streak lasted only three more games.
(Image credit: Corbis)

THE FANS ARRIVED early, herding together outside Cleveland’s vast Municipal Stadium, spilling in a great throng onto Lakeside Drive. The weather had broken clear, and a mild evening breeze blew off Lake Erie. By the time the Yankees took batting practice, fans had crowded into the double-decker grandstand and the outfield bleachers. Down in the infield seats there was scarcely room to move in the aisles.

A few had come to see Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak stopped by their Indians, but many wanted to see it continue. And some people, like Cleveland’s ace pitcher Bob Feller, felt both things at once. He couldn’t quite bring himself to root for DiMaggio to get a hit against his team, but at the same time, as he sat in the dugout looking out at the great, soughing crowd, Feller found himself thinking, “I’d sure like to get a crack at stopping that streak tomorrow. I’d like to be the one on the mound.”

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